How to Make a Timeline in PowerPoint With SmartArt

Timelines are one of the most useful slides you can build. A project plan for a client, your company's story on an About slide, a launch countdown, a course roadmap: they all make sense faster as a line of milestones than as a list of dates.

You don't need to draw arrows and boxes by hand. PowerPoint's SmartArt has timeline layouts that space everything evenly and grow as you add dates. Here's how to create one, add and reorder milestones, and make it look like your brand.

Inserting a SmartArt timeline in PowerPoint

1. Select the slide where you want the timeline.
2. On the Insert tab, click SmartArt.
3. In the gallery, choose the Process category on the left.
4. Double-click a timeline layout. Microsoft names Basic timeline and Circle Accent Timeline as the two to look for.

A ready-made timeline drops onto your slide with placeholder text. Don't worry about the look yet, you can change the layout and colours later without retyping a thing.

Typing dates and milestones into your PowerPoint timeline

You've got two ways to add your words:

• Click each [Text] placeholder on the timeline and type straight in.
• Open the Text Pane, which shows the whole timeline as a bulleted list. If you can't see it, click Text Pane on the SmartArt Design tab.

I much prefer the Text Pane. You can type a date, press Enter, type the next, and the graphic updates as you go. It's also easier to paste in a list you've already written in an email or a project document.

Adding and reordering dates on a PowerPoint timeline

Projects change, so you'll want to add and shuffle milestones:

1. Click the shape next to where the new date should go.
2. On the SmartArt Design tab, click Add Shape.
3. Choose Add Shape Before or Add Shape After.
4. Type the new date or milestone.

To move a date that's in the wrong place, click it and select Move Up or Move Down on the SmartArt Design tab. Everything else shifts along to make room.

Choosing a different timeline layout in PowerPoint

If the first layout doesn't suit your content, switch it while keeping your text:

1. Click the timeline to select it.
2. On the SmartArt Design tab, in the Layouts group, click More.
3. To see only process-style layouts, click More Layouts, then Process.
4. Pick a new design and your milestones move across to it.

Layout	Works well for
Basic timeline	Simple dated milestones on one line
Circle Accent Timeline	Highlighted key moments with sub-points
Accent Process	Showing progress from one stage to the next
Continuous Picture List	Timelines with a photo for each stage

Microsoft suggests Accent Process for showing progression and Continuous Picture List if you want pictures in the timeline. The picture version is great for a company history slide with a photo from each milestone.

Changing timeline colours and styles in PowerPoint

• Click the timeline, then on the SmartArt Design tab click Change Colors and choose a combination. Hover over each to preview it first.
• Pick a style from the SmartArt Styles box on the same tab. Click More in the lower-right corner of the box for extra options.
• Hovering is free, so try a few combinations before you settle on one that matches your brand.

I'd keep timelines simple: one or two brand colours, plenty of space and short labels. A timeline with a paragraph under every date is hard to read from a distance.

Making a timeline in PowerPoint for the web

The browser version uses slightly different wording. On the Insert tab, click Smart Art, then choose Basic Timeline from the List section. A text editor opens next to the graphic automatically. Type each date and description, pressing Enter after each one.

To add a sub-point under a milestone, click its bullet in the text editor and select Demote on the Smart Art tab. Change Colors and Styles sit on the same tab, and you resize the whole timeline by dragging a corner handle.

Microsoft's timeline help doesn't give separate Mac steps, so menu labels on a Mac may differ slightly.

If your PowerPoint timeline looks wrong

• Text looks tiny: long labels crowd the shapes. Shorten your labels or split the timeline across two slides.
• Can't find the Text Pane: click the timeline first so the SmartArt Design tab appears.
• New date in the wrong spot: use Move Up or Move Down rather than deleting and retyping.
• No timeline in the Process category: scroll the list, or use More Layouts on the SmartArt Design tab.
• Too many dates for one line: group smaller events as sub-points under the main milestones.

Using PowerPoint timelines for client projects and business stories

For freelancers and agencies, a timeline slide in a proposal answers the question every client asks: when will it be done? For small business owners, an About slide timeline tells your story in seconds. For course creators, a roadmap slide shows students what's coming.

Want a logo or photo on a milestone without a white box around it? Prepare it first, and my guide to saving an image with a transparent background in Canva will help. You can also add a little movement to a roadmap with a simple animated GIF built in Canva placed on the final milestone.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the timeline option in PowerPoint?

On the Insert tab, click SmartArt and choose the Process category. Microsoft names Basic timeline and Circle Accent Timeline as the timeline layouts.

How do I add more dates to a PowerPoint timeline?

Click a shape, then on the SmartArt Design tab click Add Shape and choose Add Shape Before or Add Shape After.

Can I change the timeline design after adding my text?

Yes. On the SmartArt Design tab, in the Layouts group, click More and pick another layout. Your text moves across.

How do I make a timeline in PowerPoint for the web?

On the Insert tab, click Smart Art and choose Basic Timeline from the List section. Type each entry in the text editor that opens beside it.

Can I put pictures in a PowerPoint timeline?

Yes. Microsoft suggests the Continuous Picture List layout if you want photos in your timeline.